Improvement in billiard-tables



G. BAYLIFF. Billiard-Table.

No. 223,098. Patented Dec. 30,1879.

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UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE BAYLIFF, OF LISOARD, COUNTY OF CHESTER, ENGLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN BlLLlARD-TABLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 223,098, dated December30, 1879; application filed July 30, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE BAYLIFF, of Liscard, in the county ofChester, in the King dom of England, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Billiard-Tables, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention is designed to give the cushion a more perfect reactionon the billiard-ball, and thus improve the working of the game.

First, I mold the cushion Ain such manner that the back bearing-surfaceabove the center line of contact with the ball shall be equal invertical area with that beneath, and thus the impact of the ball isequally distributed through the cushion and over the pushingplate atback. By this means greater accuracy in the rebound of the balls isobtained.

Second, I mold the cushions to the right shape at once, either theentire length, with ends to fit the pockets, all in one mold, or I moldthe ends for the pockets in independent molds and join them ontostraight lengths of molded cushions. Sometimes, however, I simply joinon the molded ends to the straight lengths molded or pared to shape byhand.

Third, I place at the back of the cushion a plate, B, made of metal orother material harder than what has ordinarily been used, and capable oftransmitting heat. The cushion is attached to this plate so as to takeand transmit the pressure or push of the ball direct, the hard platebeing preferably vertical.

Fourth, near the plate, to which the cushion is attached in anyconvenient position such, for instance, as under the slate in oldtables-I attach a tube for circulating hot air, hot water, steam, orother suitable fluid. It is partially surrounded with air, and aperturesor airways are left or made in the structure to admit the air heated bythe pipe to circulate about the cushion and warm it.

The water or other liquid in the pipe is heated in a small boiler towhich the pipe is attached and heated with an oil or gas flame or otherheating medium below, the water circulating from the upper part of theboiler through the pipe in the table and back again to the bottom of theboiler.

Other forms or modes of circulating and heating the water or other fluidin the pipe can be used, if desired. This apparatus saves the constanttrouble entailed in softening cush- A is the cushion; B, the hard plateat the back 5 O, the pipe for circulating the heating medium; D, theairways, through which the heated air passes to warm the cushions. E isthe ball, shown in the act of striking the cushion; F, the outside frameof the table. Bolts I pass through it and through the plate B to the bedof the table, binding all together. J is a cap covering the end of therecess for the bolts K, a metal bracket or trough for supporting thepipes (J. The cloth is tacked onto the outside frame at G, and isstretched over the cushion, and wedged into the space between the hardplate and frame by the wooden or other strips H. L are the pockets.

When applying the heating apparatus to an old table it is often notworth while to put in a new back and cushions. In this case I adopt theplan shown in Fig. 3, in which the air heated by the pipe traverses theholes shown in the slate.

I have not shown apparatus for heating the water or other fluid, asthere are so many systems of heating small quantities of fluid that.

would be found suitable in use. I may fix a small boiler or heaterunderneath the table,

'or even in a recess, or attached to one of the table legs; or I mayuse-water taken from a household or horticultural boiler, if convenient,circulatingit through the table and back to the boiler, the circulationbeing usually kept up by passing the pipe upward through the heatingmedium.

This invention applies to game-tables other than billiard-tables inwhich balls are used to rebound against soft elastic cushions.

I claim as my inyention l. The combination of the cushions A, the plateB, formed of metal or equivalent material capable of conducting heat,and the heat-passages D, for the purposes described.

2. The combination of the cushion A, the heat-passages D, and backplate, B, coming heat-passages D, and the heating-pipe O, for down belowthe level of the bed-plate and sethe purposes described. curely attachedthereto.

3. The combination of the heating-pipe (J, GEORGE BAYLIFF. support K,air-passages D, and back plate, of Witnesses:

a heat-conducting material B. WM. 1?. THOMPSON,

4. The combination of the frame F, strip H, J NO. B. BURLINGHAM.

